On April 09, 1975, US Secretary Of State dispatched a cable summarizing global events happenign on April 09, 1975. Following is an excerpt pertaining to some events occurring in South Vietnam; in particular, the dead of General Hieu was mentioned.

Note on some acronyms:
- CSM = Christian Science Monitor
- AP = Associated Press
- CHITRIB = Chicago Tribune
- PHINQ = Philadelphia Inquirer
- NYT = New York Times
- USIA = United States Information Agency
- SUN = Sunday
- WP = Washington Post
- UPI = United Press International
- NYDN = New York Daily News

PAGE 01 STATE 081079
ORIGIN EA-10
INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 INR-07 NSAE-00
PA-02 USIA-15 PRS-01 SP-02 PM-03 PCH-01 /054 R
DRAFTED BY EA/P:STAFF:PP
APPROVED BY EA/P:MSMITH
---------------------067745
R 092257Z APR 75

FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC DIPLOMATIC POSTS
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TREASURY
AMCONSUL BIEN HOA
AMCONSUL CAN THO
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
USDEL JEC PARIS
INFO USSAGE NKP
CINCPAC HONOLULU HI
COGARD
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST BY POUCH
XMT AMEMBASSY SUVA
AMEMBASSY RANGOON

UNCLAS STATE 081079
COGARD FOR POLAD
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS:PFOR, XC, US

SUBJECT: APRIL 9 EA PRESS SUMARY

[…]

GEN WEYAND TOLD SASC CLOSED MEETING TUESDAY THAT SVN CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT ADDITIONAL US MIL AID (CSM); SAID FOUND SVN CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE, MORALE. ADDED THAT ARVN WOULD FIGHT AND DEFEND AREA NOW HELD (AP, CHITRIB). GEN TOLD REPORTERS HE HAD RECOMMENDED AT LEAST 550 MILLION DOLS IN IMMEDIATE ADDITIONAL GVN MIL AID. DOS' HABIB TOLD SFRC THERE IS CHANCE SVN COULD SURVIVE IF MORE MIL AID RECEIVED; SEVERAL SENATORS "EXTREMELY SKEPTICAL," INCLUDING HUMPHREY, WHO DEPLORED LOSS OF ESTIMATED BILLION IN US-SUPPLIED EQUIPMENT (PHINQ).

NYT'S FINNEY NOTES WEYAND "SOMEWHAT LESS EMPHATIC" ON WHETHER GVN COULD SURVIVE IF GIVEN MORE MIL AID, BUT OPINED THERE WAS CHANCE. ONE OF WEYAND REPORT KEY RECOMMENDATIONS IS THAT US HELP BOLSTER FORCES AROUND SAIGON BY ARMING, UPGRADING RFS. REPORTS HABIB EMPHASIZED TO SFR POTENTIAL OF ENLISTING RFS FOR DEFENSE OF SAIGON, DELTA. ANOTHER WEYAND RECOMMENDATION IS TO RE-WSRX EQUIP, REORGANIZE ESTIMATED 15,000 MEN WHO MADE WAY BACK TO GVN AREAS. FINNEY OPINES WEYAND'S VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ASSUMING CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE IN DETERMINING ADMIN'S DECISION ON WHETHER PRESS RELUCTANT CONGRESS FOR ADDITIONAL MIL AID.

[…]

GAO FOUND MAJOR DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN AMOUNTS OF MIL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED AND GVN RECORDS OF WHAT ON HAND. DISCREPANCIES NOTED IN DEC REPORT URGING STRONGER CONTROLS OVER US EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED; BLAMED DEFICIENCIES ON LACK OF TRAINED PERSONNEL IN SVN ARMED FORCES. "NEWSDAY" QUOTED DOD SOURCES THAT GAO ESTIMATED 200 MILLION DOLS IN US EQUIPMENT LOST OR SQUANDERED BY GVN (AP, NYT). DOD SOURCES SAID LARGE AMOUNT OF MIL EQUIPMENT STOLEN BY GVN OFFICIALS, SOLD NVN, VC. GAO FINDINGS EXPECTED PLAY KEY ROLE IN HILL COMMITTEE DELIBERATIONS ON PRES' SUPPLEMENTAL MIL AID REQUESTS. CRUX OF PROBLEM IS US HAS NO WAY VERIFYING SVN CLAIMS ON BATTLEFIELD LOSSES (VOLKMAN, NEWSDAY, IN PHINQ).

[…]

THIEU VOWS STAY, APPEALS FOR CALM FOLLOWING ATTACK ON PALACE. PILOT APPARENTLY DISGRUNTLED ABOUT WITHDRAWALS POSSIBLY FLEW TO CAMBODIA OR NVN FOLLOWING ATTACK (YATES, CHITRIB). NYT'S BROWNE BELIEVES THIEU WELL IN CONTROL, AND NOTES POLITICAL OPPONENTS DENOUNCED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT (IN USIA WIRELESS FILE). VC SPOKESMAN SAID ATTACK PROVES THIEU DETESTED BY OWN PEOPLE (SEIDEN, SUN). CURFEW IN SAIGON RELAXED AFTER RAID ON PALACE; SOURCES SAY LIFTED AFTER PRESSURE FROM US EMBASSY. PROSPECT THAT DISGRUNTLED PILOT MIGHT HAVE LANDED IN THAILAND BOUND CREATE RUMORS US WAS BEHIND PLOT (GREENWAY, WP). WP'S OBERDORFER IN SAIGON SEES BOMBING AS DRAMATIC ATTEMPT SOLVE SVN'S MOST DIFFICULT PROBLEM: LEADER WHO HAS LOST CONFIDENCE OF PEOPLE AS COUNTRY CRUMBLES. SAYS FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IS PRECEPTION OF SITUATION: THIEU, AMB MARTIN, AND PROBABLY WEYAND, BELIEVE STILL TIME AND HOPE; GROWING NUMBER VIET AND US OBSERVERS CONVINCED THIS JUST WISHFUL THINKING. NOTES MUCH OPINION THAT COMMUNISTS WANT NEGOTIATED SOLUTION BECAUSE DON'T WANT ONUS OF BRUTAL MIL SOLUTION BEFORE WORLD. SUN'S ISAACS (4/6) IN SAIGON BELIEVES TOO LATE FOR VN. CHARACTERIZES US POLICY AS CONSISTING OF REJECTING CHOICES WHILE AVAILABLE, THEN PURSUING THEM JUST AS THEY DISAPPEAR.

DEP COMMANDER OF SAIGON AREA, GEN HIEU, DIES OF SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT (NYT) DEATH FOLLOWED ARGUMENT WITH SUPERIOR OVER TACTICS (UPI, NYDN). HIEU HAD BEEN CRITICAL OF THIEU IN PAST OVER CORRUPTION. ACCIDENT THEORY NOT WIDELY BELIEVED (GREENWAY, WP).

NVN BEGAN MOVING 2 MORE DIVS INTO SVN, MAKING 20 OUT OF TOTAL 22. ULTIMATE STRATEGY FOR GAINING CONTROL SAIGON REMAINS UNCLEAR. DIPLOMATIC SOURCES BELIEVE ATTEMPT AT POLITICAL SOLUTION CANNOT BE RULED OUT. NVA PROBABLY STILL HASN'T ODDS IN SAIGON AREA THAT WOULD BE WANTED FOR IMMEDIATE ATTACK (CORDDDY, SUN). VC AND NVA CONTINUE HEAVY SHELLING AND SAPPER ATTACKS SOUTH AND EAST OF SAIGON (AP, SUN). NVA LAUNCHES ATTACK IN UPPER DELTA APPARENTLY AIMED AT CUTTING OFF FOOD SUPPLIES TO SAIGON. NO COLLAPSE BY ARVN IN DELTA (BUTTERFIELD, NYT).

NOTE BY OC/T: POUCHED BUDAPEST.

UNCLASSIFIED

This document was released by the US Department of State on July 05, 2006.

Nguyen Van Tin
17 September 2008

generalhieu